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Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances (using short-wavelength radio transmissions in the ISM band from 2400–2480 MHz) from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks (PANs) with high levels of security. Created by telecoms vendor Ericsson in 1994, it was originally conceived as a wireless alternative to RS-232 data cables. It can connect several devices, overcoming problems of synchronization.

Bluetooth is managed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, which has more than 17,000 member companies in the areas of telecommunication, computing, networking, and consumer electronics. The SIG oversees the development of the specification, manages the qualification program, and protects the trademarks. To be marketed as a Bluetooth device, it must be qualified to standards defined by the SIG. A network of patents is required to implement the technology and are licensed only for those qualifying devices.

116 Recent Stories

The world could be at your fingertips, thanks to a new wearable, gesture-based gadget. Fin enables users to control up to three devices such as smartphones, car radios and smart TVs using only swipes and taps. The ring-shaped technology is worn on th...

The Wren V5BT Bluetooth speaker provides full sound in an attractive package. This assessment comes despite a caveat from the makers that their AirPlay and Play-Fi models are superior. So why go for Bluetooth? To avoid any buyers' remorse to be incur...

Now the ability to “paint with all the colors of the wind” doesn’t solely belong to Disney's Pocahontas. Developed by three university friends, The SwatchMate Cube aims to expand the color palettes of designers and artists with the colors around them...

In addition to debuting its not-quite-4K Aquos Quattron+ televisions at the International CES, Sharp also unveiled a new line of audio components primarily focused on wireless functionality. The biggest news on the audio front is Sharp’s new Universa...

A new speaker aims to reintroduce vintage sound to the 21st century by combining old-school aesthetics with modern technology. Described as the "world's first Bluetooth gramophone," the Gramovox is modeled after a 1920s Magnavox R3 horn speaker, acco...

Future Bluetooth devices will be more flexible, have better connectivity and play nicer with other gadgets in the coming months. Bluetooth 4.1, set by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), upgrades the short-range wireless standard with a numbe...

Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. Today, we're looking at three particularly interesting stories. China took a big step in regulSating Bitcoin by ...

Secure keyless entry to your home via smartphone would make life significantly easier in any number of instances: arms full of groceries, or a guest who needs to get in without keys, to name a few. Several companies have developed smartphone-controll...

The Jawbone UP fitness wristband has a lot going for it: It's stylish, durable and comfortable. But it lacks a feature included on other fitness trackers like the Nike+ Fuelband SE: wireless syncing. That changes with the launch of UP24 on Wednesday,...

For its signature Tracks headphones, Sol Republic takes the unusual step of making them modular: the earcups, cable and headband are all separate and can be swapped out with other components. It's ambitious, then, that Sol would extend the product in...

Technologists in India have developed a Bluetooth-enabled device that can serve as a lost-and-found, a personal photographer, a pet sitter and a home security system. Gecko is about the size of a quarter and can be programed to perform a host of func...

Jawbone did a lot to establish the wireless-speaker category with its Jambox, capturing tons of market share in a short amount of time. Since then, though, the category has gotten massively competitive, with impressive offerings from the likes of Bea...

Apple recently acquired a small company that specializes in designing communications chips that use very little power, Passif Semiconductor. The purchase gives Apple more resources to tap for its venture into wearable computing, which appears inevita...

There are many reasons to put off a trip to the mailbox: extreme temperatures, injuries, pure laziness, not to mention the disappointment of going through all that trouble only to greet an empty mailbox. Postifier, currently crowdfunding on Indiegogo...

The more wireless our world gets, the more connected we seem to become. One Kickstarter product, which has made a lot of noise not even one week into its campaign, is exploiting this paradox, putting you "one fold away from work." The portable keyboa...

When Klipsch decided to insert a new wireless music system at the top of its line of Bluetooth speakers, it wasn't messing around with the Klipsch KMC 3 Wireless Music System. The 17-inch-wide Bluetooth speaker can hardly be described as pocket-sized...

Kwikset announced on Thursday a Bluetooth-enabled deadbolt lock that pairs up your iPhone 4S or iPhone 5, and will let you into your abode with a single touch. From the looks of it so far, there won't be an easier way to let yourself into your home. ...

If you have an old speaker collecting dust in the garage or shoved in the back of the closet, there's now a clever way to make it useful again. The London-based Paul Cocksedge Studio is raising funds on Kickstarter to further develop "The Vamp," a cu...

With portable sound, you usually get what you pay for. Is that true for the G-Boom, a ruggedized Bluetooth boombox that sells for a mere $100? Let's give it a listen. If you like to take your tunes with you for partying al fresco, you're looking for ...

An annoying drawback of wearing earbuds is getting them tangled up. One company aims to address this problem by removing the lower two-thirds of the cord, and replacing it instead with a Bluetooth unit. The result is Elroy: Bluetooth earbuds that liv...

High-end Klipsch took its time getting into the crowded wireless headphone market. It's there now with its on-ear set of Image One Bluetooth Headphones ($250). But was it worth the wait? Let's find out. As I removed the Klipsch headphones from their ...

Back seat drivers can be overbearing. You're always breaking too hard or driving too fast, either miles above the speed limit or not even close. One device aims to help you be a smarter driver without the constant, distracting nagging by wirelessly l...

The creator behind a new coin-sized, Arduino-compatible board says the possibilities are endless with this microcomputer that can wirelessly connect to your smartphone. The “RFduino” is an open-source, standalone board that's small enough to fit insi...

Sometimes a smiley just isn't enough. If you've ever wanted to send a sound to express anger or delight -- or you just love cat noises -- the creators of TeleSound have got you covered. TeleSound, a portable sound messenger, allows people to send mor...

The Soundfreaq Sound Platform 2 has the same scintillating full-throated sound of its predecessor. But why use one set of speakers when you can use two? This version 2.0 brings with it a unique new feature: the ability to combine two of the speaker u...

The hipKey, a new Bluetooth device designed to keep track of your personal items, is now available in the U.S. Apple Online store. We first saw hipKey at the 2013 International CES and, while it's not the only Bluetooth tracking device out there, we ...

The CES 2013 showroom opened for business Tuesday, and Vegas is buzzing with innovation, new gadgets and devices. Ro Marley, the son of late reggae artist Bob Marley and head of audio and accessory company House of Marley, stepped away from the excit...

There are four "i"s in this latest fitness gadget's brand name. It might be hard to remember the oddly spelled Viiiiva by its name, but the heart rate monitor's features are definitely memorable. Unveiled at CES International 2013, this monitor lets ...

LAS VEGAS -- Sony may have just debuted the cutest Bluetooth speaker in the world. About the size of an apple, the SRS-BTV5 is a tiny speaker that produces big sound. And it comes in pink. Manly men, be informed it also comes in white and black, but ...

We know you've had to call your cellphone more than a few times to try to remember where you left it. And the car keys? They're never where they're supposed to be. StickNFind solves that problem for you. Stick these tiny Bluetooth-enabled, coin-sized...

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